Syrians Continue Protests, As Evidence Of Regime's Violence Mounts

Amnesty International offered new evidence today of what it said was the Syrian regime's brutal crackdown on protesters. The human rights organization said the mutilated body of 18-year-old Zainab al-Hosni, the first woman known to have died in custody during Syria's recent unrest, was discovered by her family in "horrific circumstances."

Her family was visiting a morgue to identify the body of al-Hosni's activist brother Mohammad, who was also arrested and killed in detention, when they found the body of al-Hosni, "decapitated, her arms cut off and skin removed."

If you remember, back in August, Amnesty International released details about the case of Hamza Ali al-Khateeb, a 13-year-old boy who the organization says was tortured and killed by Bahsar Assad's regime.

"We have documented other cases of protesters whose bodies were returned to their families in a mutilated state during recent months, but this is particularly shocking," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Protesters in Syria, who dedicated their demonstrations earlier this week to the memory of al-Hosni, have continued to take the streets in different parts of the country. Twelve people have been killed in protests today, activists said, in a day they called "Friday of Opposition Unity."

Because very few foreign journalists have been allowed into Syria, most of the information coming out of the country has come from activists and the people on the ground. We are watching social media sites where activists are uploading videos and photos of today's events. We have collected some of these video so you can watch below. Please be aware that some of the content that follows is graphic.

Ahmed Al Omran is an intern with NPR's social media desk. He's blogged from Saudi Arabia since 2004, until he came stateside to attend Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.